2025 Preakness Stakes Jockeys - Handicapping and Mounts

by Spencer Toth - 5/13/2025

The Preakness Stakes offers a chance for horses, trainers, and jockeys to etch their names into the history books just two weeks after the world-famous Kentucky Derby. While the Preakness Stakes is seen as the least important Triple Crown race, the payout and fame that come with victory make this an incredibly important race. Jockeys have the chance to prove they can win this short yet critical race. A mid-tier jockey can have a brief moment in the biggest spotlight, and the nine-horse field means all nine of these jockeys have a legitimate shot at taking home the win. Here are the nine jockeys that will be competing at the 2025 Preakness Stakes and what to expect from each participant.

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Post Position	Horse	Jockey
1	Goal Oriented	Flavien Prat
2	Journalism	Umberto Rispoli
3	American Promise	Nik Juarez
4	Heart of Honor	Saffie Osborne
5	Pay Billy	Raul Mena
6	River Thames	Irad Ortiz Jr.
7	Sandman	John Velaquez
8	Clever Again	Jose Ortiz
9	Gosger	Luis Saez

Flavien Prat, Goal Oriented (6-1)

Flavien Prat has more than $200 million in career earnings and is one of the winningest jockeys in horse racing history. He won the 2019 Kentucky Derby and the 2021 Preakness Stakes and has no shortage of big race experience. He has 98 wins in 362 starts in 2025 alone, but nothing would mean more than a win at the 2025 Preakness Stakes. Prat finished third in the Kentucky Derby on the back of Baeza, which will be seen as a huge success given the long odds Baeza had coming into the race. Prat is as experienced as they come, and has a strong horse in Goal Oriented under him at the 2025 Preakness Stakes.

Umberto Rispoli, Journalism (8-5)

Umberto Rispoli has the privilege of riding the outright favorite at the Preakness Stakes, but this race is far from in the bag for the Italian jockey. Journalism was also the favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, but fell short after fading down the stretch. Rispoli will not have to worry about fatigue as much in this shorter race, but navigating the sloppy Baltimore race track will take a clever approach. Rispoli has gotten off to a great start in 2025, with his career-best 53% WPS so far. Another podium finish feels like a must for a horse as strong as Journalism, and this is a pivotal race for the career trajectory of Rispoli.

Nik Juarez, American Promise (15-1)

Nik Juarez is a relatively inexperienced jockey who recently ran in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in his career. His 16th-place finish was far from ideal, and he will have another crack with American Promise at the Preakness Stakes. Juarez has never truly reached the potential he had as a young jockey, but a strong showing at the Preakness Stakes could change all of that. He only has one win in his last 17 starts, and has consistently fallen short of the podium altogether. Juarez may still emerge as a legitimate jockey later in his career, but he cannot be trusted given his recent results. American Promise may be one of three horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby, but Juarez is not a jockey you should put an overwhelming amount of faith in.

Saffie Osborne, Heart of Honor (12-1)

Saffie Osborne is the only female jockey at the 2025 Preakness Stakes, and her inexperience will likely prevent her from taking home the Preakness Stakes. No female rider has ever won the Preakness Stakes, and while Osborne certainly has what it takes to change that in the future, a win with Heart of Honor may be too much to ask. Osborne’s father, Jamie Osborne, is Heart of Honor’s trainer, and this would certainly be a feel-good story at the Preakness Stakes. However, she has yet to win any major races, and participating and collecting experience is the primary target for Osborne.

Raul Mena, Pay Bill (20-1)

Raul Mena has little chance of winning the Preakness Stakes. He has gotten off to a hot start in 2025, winning 22% of his races and showing in 52%, both of which are career highs. However, he has raced in much shorter, less competitive fields, and this will be a much tougher task. He will look to continue his two-race win streak in his first-ever Preakness Stakes showing.

Irad Ortiz Jr, River Thames (9-2)

Irad Ortiz Jr. already has six Preakness Stakes appearances under his belt, including a pair of second place finishes in 2021 and 2023. He will be looking to add to his impressive list of results with a victory on the back of a strong horse in River Thames at the 2025 edition of this race. Irad Ortiz Jr. is seemingly getting better with each passing year and thrives in small fields such as this one. His career 52% WPS mark is beyond impressive and has given him nearly $350 million in earnings. At 32 years old, he is already one of the greatest jockeys of all time, but is missing a Triple Crown victory.

John Velasquez, Sandman (4-1)

John Velasquez has been a jockey since 1990 and has collected almost $500 million in earnings. He has 6,700 wins on his resume and is on the back of one of the strongest horses at the Preakness Stakes. He won the 2023 Preakness Stakes with National Treasure, and has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. His return after a year off has instantly made him one of the premier available jockeys, and is the perfect man to harness the power of Sandman. Velasquez already has six career American Classic wins, and will join elite company if he can win the Preakness Stakes for a second time.

Jose Ortiz, Clever Again (5-1)
Jose Ortiz already has two American Classic wins, including his 2022 Preakness Stakes victory. Ortiz is still in the infancy of his career, and his rapid rise to stardom cannot be ignored. Clever Again is a strong contender at the Preakness Stakes, and Ortiz will need to be careful to pace himself on the weekend. He is known to be able to control his steeds like few others, and is the perfect man to take Clever Again to the top of the leaderboard this year. He rode Sandman at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, but Sandman’s late registration means he will remain on the back of Clever Again.

Luis Saez, Glosger (20-1)

Luis Saez will be competing in his fifth Preakness Stakes this weekend and is still searching for that elusive victory. Glosger is not among the favorites to win this race, but Saez will feel confident he can build on his Lexington Stakes victory last month. He has finished in the top 10 of jockey earnings ten years in a row, and Saez knows what it takes to navigate a race like this on a horse with the upside of Glosger.

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Start:	May 21, 2025 @ 10:10 PM
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2025 Preakness Stakes Jockeys - Handicapping and Mounts

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